'Bonnie And Clyde' - Arthur Penn's 1967 Classic

I went into "Bonnie and Clyde" with the mind set when I rented Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre;" I figured the passing of time diluted its immense power that it possessed upon its initial release. Plus, already knowing the basic story, I felt I was more than prepared for the movie's more controversial elements to where I expected to not to be too disturbed by them.

But in the end, it didn't matter what I knew or what I thought I knew. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was and still is an extremely unsettling horror film, but "Bonnie and Clyde" isn't far off in the shocking department. It's a brilliant character piece that follows the exploits of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker as they make their way across America robbing banks, and of the people they pick up on their journey. It was also one of the first films to come out of the New Hollywood era in how it portrayed sex and violence in a much more visceral fashion. Even after forty plus years, "Bonnie and Clyde" still packs a powerful wallop, and nothing has taken away from its accomplishments.

Yes, this is another one of those movies "based on a true story," a major pet peeve of mine that signals another clichéd story undone Hollywood formulaic conventions. However, those words are not seen in the opening credits. We get presented with snapshots of the title characters who have long since passed into legend. By introducing these two infamous people in this fashion, we are already drawn into their reality without questioning it too much. I wish more movies today would try this tactic more often as it has me believing that I am about to watch something out of the ordinary.

"Bonnie and Clyde" jumps right into the action as we come upon Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), listlessly resting in bed and clearly bored with her life as a waitress. When she suddenly spots the mischievous Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) trying to steal her mother's car, she is immediately smitten and jumps right out of the house to join him. While in town, Clyde tells her that he robs banks, and she questions just how serious he is. Clyde ends up proving it by robbing a store just across the street, and he proudly shows off the loot he absconded with. From there, these two are on the run and crazy in love with one another.

Much of what is shown onscreen here probably doesn't resemble how events happened in real life, but the filmmaker's true aim was to present a more romanticized version of these two who were as passionate as they were dangerous. The story takes place in the middle of the Great Depression where families lost much of what they owned, and criminals were treated like welcome celebrities. This becomes apparent when Bonnie and Clyde hide out at an abandoned farmhouse when its owner comes by for one last look. It turns out that "the bank" took his farm from him heartlessly, and the two bank robbers no longer see him as a threat but as a wronged person. When they tell him that they rob banks, the farmer sees them like they are coming to the rescue of folks like him.

Now does any of this remind you of anything we are going through today?

But don't mistake the romanticism of "Bonnie and Clyde" as being the same as glamorizing the criminal lifestyle. While Beatty and Dunaway look fabulous in their costumes (which soon became fashion statements of the time), the violence shown here is harsh in its senseless brutality. The movie marked the first time a character got shot at and killed all in the same frame, and it is still shocking to watch. Even seeing it today in 2011 made me gasp in astonishment.

The other thing about the violence in "Bonnie and Clyde" is that it showed the irreparable damage a bullet can do to the human body. This is not one of those old westerns where characters, when they got shot, just dropped to the ground or were somehow able to brush it off eventually like it was no big deal. Bullets penetrate human flesh here, the blood gushes freely, and yelps of intense pain keep emanating from the victims. As a result, the movie breaks through the preconceived myths we have of this couple, and seeing them wander through the fields badly wounded renders them all the mortal.

This brings me to another big accomplishment of this classic film; the screenplay makes us empathize with these characters. Brilliantly written by David Newman and Robert Benton (with Robert Towne on board as a Special Consultant), the scripts sucks us completely into the lives of these criminals to where we don't get much of a perspective outside it. Now in real life we would not want to be around them, but the appeal of being so close to people well known is more inviting than we ever care to admit to anyone or ourselves. What Bonnie and Clyde are doing is wrong, but we are seduced by their desire to lead a life that is not restricted by legal boundaries and filled with a strong desire to feel alive. Granted, common sense ends up kicking in for the majority of us all, but that devilish desire is not that far from the surface.

With Warren Beatty, I have gotten so used to seeing him as one of Hollywood's elder statesmen. But watching him as Clyde Barrow wiped away that image for two hours, and I was instantly reminded of what a great and charismatic actor he was (and still is).. He must have had the time of his life playing this gleefully law breaking criminal because it shows in his face throughout. Beatty inhabits this character with a wild abandon, fully accepting of the path he has taken in life with little to no remorse.

Watching Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker, it's easy to see what made her such a big star. I don't just mean her first scene where she stands naked in front of her bedroom window staring seductively down at Beatty. Faye too brings a fantastically crazed energy to this character and fearlessly takes Bonnie through a throng of deeply felt emotions. Whether she is in sheer ecstasy or utter frustration over her circumstances, Faye becomes Bonnie right before our eyes to where it's impossible to catch her acting.

"Bonnie and Clyde" also marked one first movie roles for acting great Gene Hackman who plays Clyde's never-do-well brother Buck. It's immensely entertaining to watch him imbue Buck with such a combustible lifeforce, and it makes me miss his work on the big screen. Gene retired from acting after the forgettable comedy "Welcome To Mooseport," and he deserves an infinitely better swan song than that!

I remember Michael Pollard from "Tango & Cash" where he lent Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell his state of the art van, which they of course destroy. As getaway driver C.W. Moss in "Bonnie & Clyde," I can't help but wonder if he got typecast as a car expert or mechanic on the basis of his performance here. Whatever the case, I loved how he got all sucked into the fame that this bank robbing duo were obsessed with, and the look of fear and confusion on his face when things go horribly wrong reflects our own. Like him, we slowly realize just how deep into the muck we have gotten ourselves into.

Estelle Parsons, who plays Buck's wife Blanche, won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance. I have to say though that I was with Bonnie in wanting her to shut up because she was constantly yelling throughout the whole film, and you can only take so much of it after awhile. Still, you have to admire just how far out she goes to play this role. While Blanche might seem like a pushover to some, Estelle certainly isn't, and I imagine her Academy Award win for this was well deserved.

Still, if she and Buck ever had a son, it would have looked and sounded like Bill Paxton's Marine character of Hudson from "Aliens."

"Bonnie and Clyde" also marked the film debut of Gene Wilder, and he gives the movie some of its funniest moments without even trying to be funny. When the gang steals his car, he promises his girlfriend that he will tear them apart. Of course, things don't go quite as planned, and watching Wilder's expressions throughout reminds us of how brilliant comedian and actor he can be.

Director Arthur Penn was not just looking to make an average gangster movie, nor was he showing violence for the sake of it. Even back in the 60's, there were already several movies like this one, and he had to find a way to make it stand out from the rest. By giving us the combustible elements of sex and violence, he made "Bonnie and Clyde" a true classic for the ages. There are never really and good or bad guys to root for or against here, and by its viciously bloody end, we are emotionally drained at all we have witnessed. Whether or not you feel justice was served, you still can't escape the feeling of loss here.

This movie certainly has had a huge influence on many other movies I deeply admire: be it Tony Scott's "True Romance," Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers," David Lynch's "Wild At Heart," or even Ridley Scott's "Thelma & Louise," the combination of sex and violence remains a potent one in some of the best films ever made. I'd like to think that "Bonnie and Clyde" was the one that started it all.

I apologize for taking way too long to sit down and watch this one, but in retrospect, it was well worth the wait.

* * * * out of * * * *